AEDLE: Designing Drama Therapy Interface for Improving Pragmatic Language Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using AR
Jungin Park, Gahyeon Bae, Jueon Park, Seo Kyoung Park, Yeon Soo Kim, Sangsu Lee
Abstract
This research proposes AEDLE, a new interface combining AR with drama therapy — an approved method of improving pragmatic language skills — to offer effective, universal, and accessible language therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). People with ASD commonly have a disability in pragmatic language and experience difficulty speaking. However, although therapy in childhood is necessary to prevent long-term social isolation due to such constraints, the limited number of therapists forbids doing so. Technology-based therapy can be a solution, but studies on utilizing digital therapy to improve pragmatic language are still insufficient. We conducted a preliminary user study with an ASD child and a therapist to investigate how the child with ASD reacts to drama therapy using AEDLE. We observed that our ASD child actively participated in AEDLE-mediated drama therapy, used our insights to recommend design suggestions for AR-based drama therapy, and explored various ways to utilize AEDLE.